GE Introduces Industrial microCT Scanner at RSNA 2015

December 7, 2015 — GE Healthcare announced that its phoenix v|tome|x m computed tomography (CT) system now features scatter|correct technology, providing significant data quality improvements for high-energy microfocus CT scans with up to 300 kV.

The technology, a combination of hardware and software advances from GE Measurement & Control, enhances defect detection and analysis as well as 3-D metrology in the automotive, aerospace and power generation sectors and can especially be applied to high scattering materials, such as steel and aluminum, composites and multi-material samples.

Applied to the v|tome|x m system, this technological advancement automatically removes scatter artifacts from the CT volume, allowing users to gain a low scatter artifact quality level never before reached with conventional cone beam microCT, according to GE. Process control productivity on the production floor is increased by clearly improved quantitative volume evaluations, such as automatic defect recognition (ADR) or more precise 3-D metrology results.

“Until now, CT manufacturers had to increase the X-ray energies to minimize the negative scatter radiation quality impact,” said Oliver Brunke, M.D., senior CT product manager at GE Measurement & Control. “But this led to more complex, heavier shielded and expensive systems.” He noted that CT users can now perform, in many cases, scans normally requiring a 450 kV X-ray tube with a 300 kV X-ray tube by using the available tube spectrum much more effectively.

The phoenix v|tome|x m is a versatile X-ray microfocus CT system with optional high resolution nanoCT capability for 3-D metrology and failure analysis with up to 300 kV/500 W. The system offers down to < 1 µm detail detectability and what the company calls industry-leading magnification and power at 300 kV. GE’s click & measure|CT acquisition, reconstruction and evaluation automation functionality make it an efficient and reproducible 3-D evaluation tool.

The phoenix v|tome|x m system is also available as a metrology edition for highly precise and reproducible 3-D metrology. The optional dual tube configuration enables high-resolution nanoCT of low absorbing samples.